Golf ball repaint fixture



Nov. 13, 1956 w. E. WILSON GOLF BALL REPAINT FIXTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 17, 1954 INVENTOR WAYNE E.WIL.$OM

ATTORNEYS GOLF BALL REPAINT FIXTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 17, 1954 INVENTOR.

' WAYNE E.Wu.sou

United States Patent 2,770,218 GOLF BALL REPAINT FIXTURE Wayne E. Wilson, York, Pa. Application September 17, 1954, Serial No. 456,673

3 Claims. (Cl. 118-503) This invention relates to apparatus for coating or painting golf balls, and more particularly to an improved holder or supporting device for holding golf balls while they are being repainted and while the paint thereon is drying.

The main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved supporting device for holding gold balls while they are being repainted or while they are drying, said supporting device being simple in construction, being compact in size, and being arranged to facilitate the drying of the golf balls mounted therein as well as providing even distribution of the coating of paint thereon.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved supporting device for holding golf balls while they are being repainted or while they are drying, said device being inexpensive to manufacture, being durable in construction, being arranged to accommodate a plurality of golf balls in a balanced arrangement, being arranged so that the balls may be sprayed or otherwise coated with paint while the device is being rotated, and providing a simple and reliable means for properly supporting golf balls being repainted or drying to provide proper distribution of the paint coating on the golf balls.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an improved supporting device constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross sectional detail view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an elevational detail view of one of the ball clamping members employed with the device of Figures 1 to 4.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates an improved repainting fixture for golf balls according to the present invention, said fixture comprising a support 12 which is generally U-shaped, said support having the flat base portion 13 and the vertical, upstanding end arms 14 and 15. As shown in Figure 2, the arms 14 and 15 taper upwardly in width and have the upwardly and inwardly inclined top edges 16, 16, as shown.

Designated at 17 is a shaft member which has a handle portion 18 extending rotatably through and rotatably supported in a bushing 19 integrally formed on the top end of the arm 15, the handle portion 18 being knurled, as shown at 20, to facilitate manual rotation of the shaft 17. The opposite end of the shaft extends rotatably through the top end portion of the arm 14. The intermediate portion of the shaft is enlarged and is square in cross section, as shown at 21, respective washers 22 and 23 being provided between the ends of the enlarged square portion 21 and the respective top bearing portions of the 2,770,218 C Patented Nov. 13, 1956 arms 15 and 14 through which the shaft end portions extend.

Mounted on the square intermediate portion 21 of the shaft are a plurality of resilient ball clamping members 24, each ball clamping member comprising theangularly overlapping arms 26 and 27 connected by the generally triangular loop 28. The arms 26 and 27 terminate in the inwardly extending gripping portions 29 and 30 adapted to resiliently engage a golf ball at diametrically opposite portions of the ball. The loop portions 28 of the ball clamping members 24 are engaged on the square intermediate portion 21 of shaft 17 in the manner illustrated in Figure 2, the arms 26 and 27 being flexed so that they are substantially at right angles to each other whereby said arms engage adjacent side surfaces of the squared portion 21 to limit rotation of the clamping member relative to the shaft. The loop portion 28 receives the squared portion of the shaft, as is clearly shown in Figure 2, and the arms 26 and 27 engage the adjacent flat sides of the shaft to prevent the clamping member 24 from rotating relative to the shaft. The clamping members 24 are spaced longitudinally along the shaft in the manner shown in Figure 3. As shown, each loop portion 28 is secured between a pair of resilient washers 31, 31 mounted on the shaft squared portion 21, the respective pairs of washers 31, 31 being spaced apart by rigid washers 32. The end rigid washers 32, 32 are respectively engaged by anchoring washers 34, 34, each anchoring washer 34 comprising a circular disc element having a generally square central aperture 35 to receive the squared shaft portion 21 and being provided with the respective inclined resilient anchoring lugs 36 lockingly engageable with the respective fiat surfaces of the shaft squared portion 21 to lock the anchoring washer in a fixed position on said shaft squared portion. As shown in Figure 3, the anchoring lugs 36 at the respective opposite ends of the ball clamping assemblage are directed outwardly from the assemblage so that the outwardly directed, inclined anchoring lugs 36 on the respective anchoring washers 34 penetrate into the surfaces of the squared shaft portion 21 and maintain tight clamping force on the assemblage, whereby the arms 26 and 27 of each ball clamping member 28 are secured in a plane perpendicular to the shaft 17.

As shown, the respective clamping members project outwardly from the shaft at different angles therefrom, in accordance with the number of faces on the squared portion 21 of the shaft 17. Thus, in the specific arrangement illustrated, there are four anchoring members 28 projecting outwardly at right angles to each other, whereby four golf balls, shown at 38, may be supported by the device. Obviously, any desired number of clamping members 28 may be provided on the device, and the device may be made of a sufficient length to accommodate a much larger number of golf balls than that shown in the specific embodiment of the invention described above and illustrated in the drawings.

The deformable washers 31, 31 are made of any suitable material, such as felt, or similar resilient material which will deform to receive the loop 28 of the associated ball clamping member and which will be of sutficient cohesiveness to support the clamping member in a plane perpendicular to the shaft 17, as above described.

In using the device, the golf balls 38 may be mounted between the respective pairs of clamping portions 29 and 30 of the clamping members 24 in the manner illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, whereby the balls are supported in spaced relation to each other and in a balanced arrangement around the shaft 17. The balls may be coated by dipping, spraying, or by any other suitable means, after which the shaft 17 may be revolved either manually, or by any other means. For example, mechanical means for rotating the shaft 17 may be provided such as a spring motor, an electric motor, or a hydraulic wheel suitably geared to provide a rotational speed of the order of ten revolutions per minute.

Rotation of the golf balls while the paint is drying provides an even distribution of the coating of paint, which is essential in order for the balls to have their desired characteristics when being used.

By arranging the ball clamping members in a balanced configuration around the shaft balanced loading is obtained, so that rotation of the shaft may be accomplished with minimum and constant torque.

As above mentioned, provision for increasing the capacity of the device can be made by providing a shaft of suitable length and by providing the proper length for the support member 12. For example, the device may be lengthened to accommodate a total capacity of twelve balls.

For spray painting, the device may be loaded with the desired number of balls, for example, with the number required for balanced loading, after which paint may be sprayed on the balls while the shaft 17 is rotated. With a proper spray coating, rotation of the shaft subsequent to the spraying process is not essential. the paint is applied by dipping, or by other corresponding methods, the painted balls are secured in the clamping members 24 after application of the paint, and the balls are rotated during the drying period until the painted coatings thereof have hardened sufficiently to prevent flow of the paint.

In the specific embodiment of the invention above described and illustrated in the drawings, the supporting member 12 may be made of suitable sheet material, such as sheet metal, plastic, or the like. Alternatively, the supporting member 12 may be made of wire bent to form the bearings for the opposite end portions of the shaft 17 and suitably shaped to provide a stable base support for the assemblage. Furthermore, instead of applying separate spacing elements between the loop portions 28 of the ball clamping members, the squared portion of the shaft may be provided with a single length of resilient material, such as rubber tubing or the like, on which the loops 28 may be engaged.

While a specific embodiment of an improved repainting fixture for golf balls has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

However, when alt) What is claimed is:

l. A repainting fixture for golf balls comprising a support including a flat base portion and a pair of upstanding end arms, a horizontal shaft spaced above said flat base portion and rotatably mounted in said end arms adjacent the free ends thereof, and a, resilient ball clamping member mounted on the portion of said shaft between said arms for rotation therewith, said ball clamping member comprising a pair of opposing resilient clamping jaws having inwardly projecting end portions adapted to engage diametrically opposite portions of a golf ball.

2. A repainting fixture for golf balls comprising a support including a flat base portion and a pair of upstanding end arms, a horizontal shaft spaced above said flat base portion and rotatably mounted in said end arms adjacent the free ends thereof, and a plurality of longitudinally spaced resilient ball clamping members mounted on the portion of said shaft between said arms for rotation therewith and extending at different angles from said shaft, each ball clamping member comprising a pair of opposed resilient clamping jaws having inwardly projecting end portions adapted to engage diametrically opposite portions of a golf ball.

3. A repainting fixture for golf balls comprising a support, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said support, said shaft having a squared intermediate portion, and a plurality of longitudinally spaced resilient ball clamping members mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith and extending at different angles from said shaft, each ball clamping member comprising a pair of opposed resilient clamping jaws having inwardly projecting end portions adapted to engage diametrically opposite portions of a golf ball, each ball clamping member being formed with a generally triangular loop at its inner end engaged around said squared intermediate portion of the shaft, the arms of the loop overlapping at substantially right angles and engaging adjacent sides of said squared intermediate shaft portion to limit rotation of the clamping member relative to the shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Briggs et al. Oct. 2, 1951 

